What if we are getting it wrong? People don’t need rage, they need relationship. People don’t need condemnation, they need care. If you follow Jesus, let’s take a step back from halftime and see what we can learn.
Can you believe what some people do to children? Can you believe the evil in the heart of humanity? It is somehow easier to consider when it is the other person. However, we are all in need of mercy.
In high school science class I learned that there are times when a winding river can chart a new, streamlined course as the stress placed on a river bank in a bend cuts the bend off altogether. What if the stress in our life is meant, not to defeat us but to help us chart a new path?
Have you ever had a season in your life when you feel like your very soul is drowning in grief, despair or stress? It could be chaos at work or at home, your finances could be falling apart or you have received devastating news about your health. When you feel like you are drowning, the cause is rarely relevant and the solutions are often few. What do we do?
Pastor, what if our words are telling half the population of the U.S. that they are not welcome in our church? Would you stop using those words or would you simply not care?
Could it be the popular church culture phrase, “You are welcome here!” is doing us more harm than good?